An explosion of a heating gas pipe killed at least 11 people and injured 42 others during a wedding ceremony in western Iran, the country's state TV reported on Friday. The report said five children and five women were among those killed in the explosion, which took place late on Thursday evening in the predominantly Kurdish city of Saqqez, about 450 kilometers (255 miles) west of the capital, Tehran. Iran occasionally sees such incidents, which are mainly blamed on widespread disregard for safety measures, old and outdated equipment and inadequate emergency services.

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 02:50:58 -0500

(Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.The survival of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government hangs in the balance as her disgruntled coalition partner wrestles with its future.A three-day convention for the Social Democrats, which starts Friday in Berlin, marks the party’s latest effort to get itself back on track after reluctantly entering a coalition to support Merkel for her fourth term two years ago. The convention is unlikely to spark an immediate withdrawal, but could dial up the already tense relations within the government.The SPD’s newly-elected leaders -- a pair of outspoken coalition critics and Berlin outsiders -- are pushing for concessions from Merkel’s Christian Democrat-led bloc. They’re calling for continual increases in infrastructure spending, a higher minimum wage and more aggressive measures to tackle climate change.The roughly 1,000 delegates are expected to rally behind the demands, which buys time for the duo of Norbert Walter-Borjans and Saskia Esken. Pulling out of the coalition could trigger a snap election, which could be disastrous with support for the SPD on par with the far-right AfD.The future of Merkel’s government was thrown into doubt when Walter-Borjans and Esken won an SPD leadership contest last weekend against a tandem led by coalition loyalist Olaf Scholz, Merkel’s finance minister and vice chancellor.The two have since back-peddled on their demands, but they will still be under pressure from a restive base and negotiations with Merkel’s bloc won’t be easy. Reopening a climate package that took months to secure will find little support from the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU. Equally, increasing the minimum wage towards the SPD target of 12 euros ($13) an hour could become a major bone of contention.The dynamics at the convention will give an indication of how much time Merkel has left, even if the SPD’s new leadership is stepping back from the brink.“We have always said that quitting the coalition is not an end in itself,” Walter-Borjans told journalists in Berlin on Thursday. “It’s about content and not about the question of yes or no.”\--With assistance from Iain Rogers.To contact the reporter on this story: Birgit Jennen in Berlin at bjennen1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, ;Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Raymond Colitt, Chris ReiterFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 02:25:08 -0500

(Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.With six days before U.K. voters go to the polls, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will this evening go head-to-head in one of the most important debates of the election campaign.Johnson wrote to Corbyn ahead of the debate, accusing him of trying to “fiddle” the result of the second Brexit referendum he wants by allowing EU nationals to vote. With Labour still trailing the Conservatives in the opinion polls, Friday’s debate could be one of the final opportunities to close the gap.Must Read: Britain’s Brexit Election Is Now a Referendum on Jeremy CorbynFor more on the election visit ELEC.Coming Up:9.30 a.m. Corbyn will give a speech in central London.8.30 p.m. BBC prime ministerial debate in Southampton.Polls:Betting odds show a 71% chance of a Conservative majority, according to Ladbrokes.The Tory lead is now below 10 points, according to the BritainElects poll tracker.Here’s a summary of recent polls.Catching Up:BBC interviewer Andrew Neil attacked Johnson for refusing to be interviewed by him, accusing him of avoiding scrutiny.Labour’s Treasury spokesman John McDonnell said his party would try to govern without a formal arrangement with other parties in the event of a hung Parliament.Officials are getting ready for a boom from the extra paperwork needed to keep goods moving across borders after Brexit.Johnson laid out his plan for his first 100 days in office. He refused to accept taxes would rise under the Tories, at odd with his own manifesto costings.The Jewish Labour Movement published its submission to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s probe into antisemitism in Labour.Four Brexit Party Members of the European Parliament quit the party to campaign for Johnson’s Brexit deal.The Markets:The pound traded at $1.3163 at 6:50 a.m. on Friday.Traders are hedging against a fall in the pound after the election.From Bloomberg Intelligence: U.K. Election Primer: Britain’s Economic Future Held in BalanceTo contact the reporter on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Adam Blenford, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 01:55:41 -0500

The United Nations center in Libya was opened as an “alternative to detention,” a last, safe stop for migrants before they were resettled in other countries. The facility is jam-packed with nearly 1,200 migrants — about twice the number it was built for — including hundreds who fled from abuse at other detention centers in hopes of sanctuary. Sewage is overflowing, and armed guards from a local militia have effectively turned the center into a prison.

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 01:21:18 -0500

The remaining signatories to the faltering 2015 Iran nuclear deal will meet in Vienna on Friday with the survival of the landmark agreement at stake after Tehran vowed to continue to breach the deal's limits on its nuclear programme. Envoys from Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and Iran will take part in the meeting, which is the first time the six parties will have gathered in this format since July. Since May, Iran has taken a series of measures, including stepping up uranium enrichment, in breach of the 2015 deal, with another such move likely in early January.

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 01:18:08 -0500